Nature campsite near the D-Day landing beaches and Bayeux

Things to see and do near the campsite

Discover Normandy, between land, sea and local produce, and let yourself be won over by its natural, historical and culinary treasures.

Our region, Normandy

What to see around the campsite

Camping Le Picard welcomes you to Tournières, in the heart of the Bessin, an area that combines Normandy countryside, historic heritage and coastline. Our campsite near Bayeux and the D-Day landing beaches is an ideal base for discovering all that Normandy has to offer.

Must-see sites, characterful villages, nature walks or food discoveries: we have gathered our suggestions to help you plan your stay and make the most of the region, whether you are coming for a weekend or a week.

To plan your visits, you can also consult the tourist office guides: Destination Isigny-Omaha and Bayeux Bessin.

Tickets at reception

Plan your visits the easy way!

We sell tickets for Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey and La Cité de la Mer directly at the campsite reception.

Something for everyone

Our ideas for days out in Normandy

From cultural visits to nature walks, family activities and food discoveries, find inspiration to suit your mood and the weather. Click on the points on the map to discover each place, along with the distance and travel time from the campsite.

depending on how much time you have

Three ready-made itineraries

Planned from the campsite, with real driving times and a manageable pace.

weekend

Two days, the essentials

  1. Omaha Beach and remembranceSet off early for Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, then the American Cemetery at Colleville. Lunch in Port-en-Bessin. In the afternoon, Pointe du Hoc.
  2. BayeuxThe cathedral and medieval centre in the morning, the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum in the afternoon. Market on Place Saint-Patrice if you’re there on a Saturday.

short stay

Four days, no rushing

  1. Omaha Beach and CollevilleThe beach, the American Cemetery, the memorial. Back via La Cambe in the late afternoon.
  2. Pointe du Hoc and ArromanchesThe cliff in the morning, the caissons of the artificial harbour in the afternoon, at low tide if possible.
  3. BayeuxCathedral, narrow streets, Battle of Normandy Museum, British War Cemetery. A full day.
  4. Mont-Saint-MichelLeave at 8 am, the abbey around midday, back in the evening. Skip-the-line tickets from reception.

one week

Seven days, the whole of the Bessin

  1. The beachesOmaha, Colleville, La Cambe.
  2. Pointe du Hoc and ArromanchesWith the Longues-sur-Mer battery on the way.
  3. BayeuxTown, museums and market.
  4. Mont-Saint-MichelThe whole day.
  5. CherbourgLa Cité de la Mer and the harbour.
  6. With the family or out in natureBayeux Aventure, Jurques Zoo, or the Castillon gardens and Cerisy Forest.
  7. Caen or HonfleurThe Memorial and the two abbeys, or the Vieux Bassin and the Côte Fleurie.
Through the seasons

The region’s major events

30 May to 13 June 2027

D-Day Festival Normandy

20 km away, all along the D-Day coast

Find out more ↗

Every Friday in summer

Fireworks at the Vauban Tower

22 km away, Port-en-Bessin

Find out more ↗

Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in summer

Rendez-vous at the cathedral

18 km away, Bayeux

Find out more ↗
Tips from Delphine and Laurent

Our top tips

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The beaches, early in the morning

To make the most of Omaha Beach, try to arrive early in the morning. You’ll enjoy the peace and quiet and the beautiful light before the crowds arrive later in the day.

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Bayeux on market day

On Saturday mornings, wander around Bayeux market and discover Normandy cheeses, cider and local produce. Everything you need for a delicious picnic!

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Mont-Saint-Michel, well planned

Plan your visit in advance and check the tide times to see the bay in a different light. We also offer skip-the-queue tickets for the abbey at the campsite reception.

Delphine and Laurent, owners of Camping Le Picard

Delphine and Laurent, your hosts at Camping Le Picard. Looking for more ideas depending on the weather or the season? Pop in and see us at reception: we’ll be happy to give you advice and share our favourite places!

before you come

FAQ

It’s a 15-minute drive to Omaha Beach at Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, a distance of 20 kilometres. The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer is the same distance away, and Pointe du Hoc is twenty-five minutes away. That’s what makes the location so appealing: you can go early in the morning and be back at the campsite for lunch.

The Bayeux Tapestry Museum is closed for renovation and is due to reopen in October 2027. The Tapestry is to be displayed at the British Museum in London for part of this period. But Bayeux is still well worth a visit! You can explore its cathedral, its medieval historic centre, the Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum and the Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History.

Three ideas for indoor visits on rainy days:

  • La Cité de la Mer in Cherbourg, about an hour’s drive away: allow a good part of the day to explore the submarine Le Redoutable and the abyssal aquarium. Skip-the-queue tickets on sale at reception.
  • The Souterroscope des Ardoisières in Caumont-sur-Aure, about 25 minutes away: an unusual visit to the old slate quarries, where the temperature stays cool all year round.
  • The Bayeux museums, about 20 minutes away: a great opportunity to discover the town’s history and heritage.

You could also spend half a day, or even a whole day, at the Caen Memorial, which is dedicated to the Second World War and 20th-century history. Remember to check the opening days and times before your visit.

Yes! Mont-Saint-Michel, an iconic UNESCO World Heritage Site, is one of the most visited places in France. To make the most of your visit and avoid queuing at the ticket office, we recommend setting off early in the morning and buying your abbey tickets the day before, directly at the campsite reception during its opening hours.

There’s no shortage of ideas for days out around the campsite, for curious little ones and adventure lovers alike!

  • To discover animals and nature : the Grange du Mohair in Bernesq, with its angora goat farm, or the Maison de la forêt in Montfiquet, which has a small exhibition on the wildlife and plants of the Cerisy State Forest, well suited to younger children.
  • To learn while having fun : the museums in Le Molay-Littry, La Meunerie (a mill museum) and La Mine (a mining museum), bring the local heritage to life.
  • To burn off some energy : Bayeux Aventure, with its outdoor activities, Jurques Zoo or Festyland, near Caen, will delight children looking for adventure.
  • To explore the history of the D-Day landings : Pointe du Hoc speaks particularly vividly to older children, with its ground still marked by craters and the remains of the fighting.

Feel free to ask us for advice at reception: we’ll be happy to suggest ideas based on your children’s ages and what you’d like to do.

The D-Day landing beaches are steeped in history, but the coastline also offers plenty of ways to enjoy the sea as a family!

For a break by the water, try the beach at Vierville-sur-Mer or the one at Colleville-sur-Mer. In Grandcamp-Maisy, you’ll also enjoy the harbour atmosphere and the pleasures of shellfish gathering on the shore, at low tide and in line with the regulations and minimum catch sizes.

Before going for a swim, remember to check the tide times, the bathing conditions and whether there are any lifeguarded areas.

Our favourite places to visit

What is there to see near Bayeux and the D-Day landing beaches?

Five must-see sites less than an hour and ten minutes from our nature campsite, from the nearest to the furthest.

20 km away · 15-minute drive

Omaha Beach stretches for almost eight kilometres between Vierville-sur-Mer and Colleville-sur-Mer. This was an American sector on 6 June 1944, and the one where losses were heaviest. You reach it via Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer, a quarter of an hour from the campsite. The beach is open to the public all year round, and the sculpture Les Braves by Anilore Banon stands in the middle of the foreshore.

Three remembrance sites can be visited in the same area. The American Cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer overlooks the beach: 9,388 graves, a memorial, a Wall of the Missing and a visitor centre that retraces the events of 6 June. Admission is free. 25 km to the west, the German war cemetery at La Cambe is the resting place of more than twenty thousand soldiers, beneath maple trees around a central burial mound: the atmosphere there is radically different and the visit shorter. Finally, at Arromanches, the caissons of the Mulberry artificial harbour still emerge from the bay at low tide.

The tip we give most often at reception: set off early. Before 9.30 am, the car parks at Colleville and Saint-Laurent are empty, and the silence over the cemetery completely changes the visit.

Isigny-Omaha Tourist Office ↗

Time neededHalf a day for the beach and the American Cemetery, a full day with Arromanches

PriceFree access to the beach and cemeteries

Best timeEarly in the morning, or late in the day at low tide

18 km away · 15-minute drive

Bayeux was the first town in France to be liberated, on 7 June 1944, and it came through the war intact. Its medieval centre is therefore authentic rather than rebuilt, which makes it an exception along the whole coast. Notre-Dame Cathedral, Romanesque at its base and Gothic above, is free to visit all year round, as are the little streets around Rue Saint-Martin and the tanners’ quarter along the River Aure.

An important point for 2026 and 2027: the Tapestry cannot be seen in Bayeux. The museum closed for renovation on 1st September 2025 and will reopen in October 2027, and the Tapestry is on display at the British Museum in London from September 2026 to July 2027. There’s no point making the trip for it until then.

Everything else remains open. The Battle of Normandy Memorial Museum traces the seventy-seven days of fighting that followed the D-Day landings. The Baron Gérard Museum of Art and History occupies the former Bishop’s Palace, right next to the cathedral. And the British war cemetery, opposite the Battle museum, is the largest Commonwealth cemetery of the Second World War in France.

Bayeux museums ↗

Time neededHalf a day, or a full day with two museums

SaturdaysMorning market on Place Saint-Patrice, one of the finest in Calvados

TapestryNot on display until autumn 2027

30 km away · 25-minute drive

Between Omaha and Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc is a thirty-metre-high promontory that the Rangers of the 2nd Battalion, led by Lieutenant Colonel Rudder, scaled at dawn on 6 June 1944 to knock out a German battery that threatened both beaches.

What strikes you on site is the terrain itself. The plateau is still pitted with bomb craters, some of them several metres deep, and the shattered bunkers can be explored on foot. It is the most spectacular site on the coast, and by far the most telling for children and teenagers: you understand the lie of the land and how difficult the assault was without needing a museum.

The site is managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission, admission is free, and a visitor centre explains the operation. The path runs along the clifftop, made safe but still impressive. Wear closed shoes and bring a windproof jacket, as the site is very exposed.

American Battle Monuments Commission ↗

Time neededOne hour to an hour and a half

PriceFree admission

Combine withOmaha Beach, as the two sites are fifteen kilometres apart

125 km away · 1 hr 10 min drive

It’s the longest trip we recommend, and it’s worth the whole day. The abbey sits at the top of the rock, and you climb up via the Grande Rue and then the Grand Degré staircase. Allow two hours on site for the abbey alone, more if you take time to explore the ramparts and gardens.

Getting there takes a little planning. You park on the mainland, about two and a half kilometres from the Mont, and reach the rock on foot via the footbridge or by free shuttle bus. The walk takes a good half hour along the Couesnon river and is pleasant in fine weather.

The thing to check before you set off is the tide. Spring tides completely transform the landscape, uncovering or submerging the bay within a few hours. Late afternoon is the best time: the groups have left, and the low sunlight over the bay at sunset is the memory people tell us about when they get back.

Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey ↗

Time neededA full day

TicketsSkip-the-queue tickets for the abbey available at the campsite reception

CheckTide times on the day of your visit

88 km away · 1-hour drive

La Cité de la Mer is housed in Cherbourg’s former transatlantic ferry terminal, a listed 1930s Art Deco building. Ocean liners left this quay for New York, and it was here that the Titanic made her last European call, on 10 April 1912. Part of the visit is devoted to transatlantic emigration and the sinking.

But the real highlight lies elsewhere: Le Redoutable, France’s first nuclear ballistic missile submarine, can be visited from end to end, from the control room to the bunks. It is the largest submarine open to the public in the world, and you tour it with an audio guide, through the original passageways. The abyssal aquarium completes the experience.

It’s the outing we recommend first on rainy days: everything is under cover and there’s enough to keep you busy for a good half-day, longer with children. Cherbourg town centre and its marina can be visited straight afterwards.

La Cité de la Mer ↗

Time neededHalf a day to a full day

TicketsAvailable at the campsite reception

IdealOn rainy days, as everything is indoors

Your stay in Normandy

The ideal starting point for exploring

Camping pitches, cottages and Coco-Sweet tent lodges in Tournières: enjoy a peaceful stay surrounded by nature and heritage, near Bayeux and the D-Day landing beaches. Camping Le Picard welcomes you from 2 April to 30 October 2027.

Book See our accommodation